When Doves Cry
by Paige Elise Hale
Summary: Steve and Madison never broke up, instead, something else separated them. Madison is recruited by both Fury and Coulson to be a part of S.H.I.E.L.D's new team. She buts heads with Agent Ward at first, but slowly warms up to him. He reminds her of her father and Steve. Grant admires Madison and what she's gone through and comes to care for her. Will Madison stay true to Steve?
1. Promotion and a new mission

When Doves Cry

**I do not own Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or The Avengers in any way.**

**A/N-Think of this as an alternate timeline for Steve and Madison. **

* * *

A couple months after Madison came out of her coma; she was put on medical leave and got stuck with a desk job.

Agent Hill entered her office one day. "Fury wants to see you in his office", Agent Hill told her.

"Did he say why?" Madison asked her.

"No. He didn't", she said and left.

"Some help you are", Madison said as Steve entered the room.

"What did Hill want?" he asked.

"Apparently I'm needed in Fury's office", she told him.

"I'll see you later though, right?" he asked her.

"And just what do you have planned, big boy?" Madison asked.

"I was think I could finally take you out on that date I owe you", he said.

"Sounds great. I'll meet you at your apartment", she said leaning up to kiss him.

Madison left her office she shared with her father and Natasha and went to Fury's office. "You wanted to see me sir?" she asked.

"Yes Junior Agent Barton", Fury said, "I wanted to talk about you being promoted to a full field agent".

"You're kidding?" Madison asked him, "I'm only 16".

"And we've had younger", Fury told her; "We also need to discuss a transfer".

"A transfer?" she asked him, "Just where to?"

"A new team we're putting together", Fury said.

"Can I ask what brought this on?" Madison asked.

"Your dedication to your father and your loyalty to Captain Rogers. Even though you will be a full field agent, you will still have a handler and mentor of course", Fury said.

"And who will be my handler?" Madison asked.

"Miss me, Madison?" a voice asked.

"Coulson?" she asked.

Coulson stepped out of the shadows.

"Wow, you look worse than I do!" Madison joked. She went over to him and gently hugged the man.

Coulson wrapped his arms around the girl.

"I'm glad you're not dead", she said. "

So am I", he said.

"Now, you'll join Coulson once he's gotten the team together. By then you should be off medical leave and be cleared to go back into the field", Fury told her, "One more thing, you can't tell anyone".

"What? But my father and Natasha…" Madison said.

"Don't have the security clearance to know", Coulson said.

"Neither do I", she told them.

"Welcome to Level 7 _Agent _Barton", Coulson said.

"L-l-l-level 7?" Madison asked.

* * *

Madison practically skipped to Steve's apartment. She knocked on the door and when he answered, she jumped on him. "Guess who just made field agent?" she asked.

"Oh my god! Madison that's great!" Steve said kissing her.

"I won't be going out into the field for a couple more months due to my injuries", she told him.

"I guess we have some celebrating to do", Steve said.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked him.

"Well…I was thinking of taking you out", he said.

"And then what?" Madison said egging him on.

"And then I'm going to drop you off at your apartment", he said.

Madison pouted.

Steve smiled and kissed her bottom lip.

"Promise to kiss me goodnight?" Madison asked, batting her eyelashes.

"Only if you're a good girl at dinner", Steve teased her.

Madison was going to miss this.

* * *

**The next chapter will be completely in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D universe. After Steve says goodbye to her of course. **


	2. Saying Goodbye

Chapter 2

**I do** **not own The Avengers or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in any way.**

* * *

A few weeks later, Madison got the call from Fury. She got up and started packing. "Steve! Steve, wake up!" Madison said shaking him.

"Wha…?" Steve said.

"I need you to drive me to the air base", she told him.

"But it's 4 in the morning", Steve said.

"Get up", she said flipping on the light.

Steve groaned and sat up.

* * *

A few hours later, they arrived at the air base. As Steve turned off his motorcycle, a S.H.I.E.L.D. SUV parked beside them.

Clint and Natasha got out.

Madison turned and hit Steve. "You called my parents?" she asked him. She turned to her father and Natasha.

"I can't believe my Baby Bird is a field agent!" Clint said hugging her.

"Daddy…" she whined.

"You be careful now", Natasha told her, "We don't want another death scare".

"I promise", Madison said.

"I almost forgot", her father said pulling out a knife, "This was mine when I was a sniper. Never had much use for it. Hopefully it will keep you safe".

Madison took the knife.

"Agent Barton", the pilot called.

Both Clint and Madison looked at him.

"The girl", he said, "It's time to go".

"Take care of yourself", her father said pulling her into another hug.

She breathed in her father's calming scent. She pulled back and looked over at Steve.

"C'mon Clint", Natasha said, "Let's let them say goodbye".

Her father leaned down and kissed her forehead, before following Natasha.

They got back in the SUV and drove off.

Madison walked back over to Steve.

"I'm going to miss you", Steve said.

Madison hugged Steve. "I'm going to miss you too", Madison told him.

"Agent Barton…" the pilot said again.

"Go on", Steve told her.

"This is the part where you tell me to stay", Madison said.

"I would never do that Madison. I know this is what makes you happy and you should follow your dreams", Steve said.

"Why do you have to be so perfect?" she asked him.

"I try", Steve said. He took her chin in his hand and kissed her. "I love you Madison Barton", he said.

"I love you Steve Rogers", Madison said.

"I also got you something", he said, "Turn around".

Madison turned around and felt Steve place something around her neck. She looked down and saw a mini version of Steve's shield.

"This way, when you get lonely, you can look down and I'll be right there", he told her.

She turned around and hugged Steve again.

"I'll see you later", Steve said.

"Later", she said leaning up for one last kiss. She pulled back from Steve and grabbed her bag. She got on the Quinjet and the pilot raised the ramp.

"Gets easier, you know", the pilot said.

"What does?" Madison asked.

"Saying goodbye", he said, "I'm Renner, but you can call me Ren".

"Madison Barton", she said.

"I know", he said, "Daughter of the best assassin S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever seen and the youngest field agent in 20 years".

"Great. I'm 16 and already have a reputation", Madison said.

"Not to mention everyone knows about your thing with Captain Rogers. Especially after the Battle of Manhattan", Ren said.


	3. Question

Hey guys, just wondering if any of you want a Grant/Madison kiss, because I'm already planning on having them have feelings for each other. It's up to you whether they act on them or not. And yes, I do know the twist pertaining to Ward, so I think it would make for an interesting turn of events.


	4. Meeting the new team

Chapter 3

**I do not own Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in any way.**

**A/N-I really need your help. So far, only one person has said they don't want any Grant/Madison romance. There _will _be some UST between the two, but they won't act on it. But I am planning on Grant and Madison having a sort of brother/sister relationship later on. Also, there will be no updates this weekend, because I'm going to New York City.**

* * *

They arrived at another air base a couple of hours later.

Madison couldn't stop playing with her necklace.

"We're here", Ren said.

Madison got up as he lowered the ramp. "Thanks", she said, "I guess I'll see you around".

"Eh, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s a big organization, but I'm sure you could find me in the system", Ren said.

Madison smiled and said, "I'll keep that in mind". She got out as Coulson drove up.

"Get in", he told her.

"Phil, the plane is literally ten feet from where I'm standing, I can walk", she told him.

"Don't you want to make an entrance?" he asked.

Madison smirked and got in.

They drove up the ramp of the plane and got out.

At first glance, Agent Ward was shocked by the brunette beauty getting out of the car. His eyes trailed down her body, but stopped when he saw the shield pendant around her neck. He instantly knew who she was.

"One of Coulson's old S.H.I.E.L.D. collectibles", Fitz said, referring to the car, "Flamethrowers world's first GPS. He's mad for this crap".

"Don't touch Lola", Coulson said as a worker approached them.

Madison giggled.

"And he calls it a girl's name", Fitz said, slapping Ward on the back.

Coulson and Madison walked up to him.

"Agent Coulson", Ward said.

"Agent Ward, this is Agent Madison Barton", Coulson introduced.

"I'm aware of who she is", Ward said, "You're bringing Agent Barton's daughter on board?"

"She happens to be an honorary Avenger. Show her some respect", Coulson said.

"Agent Barton helped cause the Battle of Manhattan!" Ward argued. Ward was on the floor with a knife to his throat.

"Do. Not. Insult. My. Father", she growled dangerously, "My ex-boyfriend is Spider-Man and my current boyfriend is a certain Star-Spangled Man. I learned to shoot a bow at the age of 5 and Agent Romanoff trained me in hand-to-hand combat. I wouldn't mess with me Agent".

"My apologies Agent Barton", Ward said.

Madison got off of him and sheathed her father's knife. She held out her hand and helped him up.

Ward readjusted his suit.

"As the leader of this team, I expect you two to learn to get along. I was appointed as Madison's handler and mentor, so she will be accompanying me wherever I go, so you two will spend lots of time together. Is that understood?" Coulson asked.

"Crystal", the two agents said.

"Now that that's settled, shall we go upstairs?" Coulson suggested.

They headed for the stairs.

"After you Agent Barton", Ward said.

She nodded at him and followed Coulson.

"So…nice car Coulson", Ward said.

"Lola's not just a collectible you know. People tend to confuse the words "new" and "improved." This mobile command, they were in heavy rotation back in the 90's but then we got a heli-carrier", Coulson said.

_Yeah, and then my father blew up an engine and nearly killed us all,_ Madison thought.

"Hey. Did you hear the one about the guy who's afraid of flying?" Coulson asked.

"I've done a night jump into a drop zone under heavy fire sir. I can handle it", Ward said.

"That was a... joke. The first part of a... I'm not gonna tell it now", Coulson said.

"If you plan to unpack make it quick. Wheels are up in five", Agent May said walking by, "We may have a hit on one of The Rising Tide's routing points".

"Good. We need to do some catching up", Coulson said.

Madison was frozen.

"Is that...who I think it is?" Ward asked.

"You didn't tell me you brought the Cavalry on board!" Madison said to Coulson, "She's like…Natasha's idol!"

"And for good reason", May said, turning back to them, "Who do you think trained her?"

Madison blushed.

Ward thought it was adorable.

"She's just the pilot", Coulson said.

"Melinda May is "just the pilot." Come on sir. What game are you really playing?" Ward asked.

"Better stow your gear", Coulson told him. He led Madison to her bunk. "How are you doing?" Coulson asked.

"You mean besides the nightmares?" she asked him, setting her bag down on her bunk.

He walked up to her and touched the pendant around her neck. "I meant this", he said.

"I'm fine. Steve was the one who encouraged me to get on the Quinjet. I almost backed out, but I can't stay under my father and Natasha's wings forever. This Baby Bird needs to get out and stretch her wings", Madison told him.

There was a knock at the door.

She looked over and saw a woman.

"Madison, this is Agent Simmons. She's part of our science division", Coulson introduced, "Agent Simmons, this is Agent Madison Barton".

"Can I help you?" Madison asked her.

"I just need to swab your mouth for your new earpiece", she spoke in a British accent.

Madison opened her mouth and allowed her to swab her mouth.

"I saw the footage from the Battle of Manhattan. You were so brave", Simmons told her.

"Thanks", Madison said, "I was terrified. Especially seeing Steve running into the line of fire".

"You saved millions of lives", Simmons said, "You should be proud of that".

* * *

A few hours later, they brought a member of The Rising Tide on board for questioning.

While Ward and Coulson were interrogating her, Madison stayed in her room and called Steve.

"Hey you", he said, "How's it going?"

"You won't believe where I am. This plane is better than the helicarrier", she said, "Unfortunately, I have to deal with a total jerk".

"What?" Steve asked, "What do you mean?"

"His name is Agent Ward and he hates me because of my father", she told him, "He blames him for the Battle of Manhattan".

"But he was under Loki's control", Steve said.

"_I_ know that, but Agent Thickhead apparently doesn't understand that", she said. She heard voices outside her door. "Hey, I gotta go, but I'll talk to you later", Madison said.

"Okay, I love you Madison", Steve said.

"I love you too Steve", she said and hung up. She got up and opened her door.

"Is it the girl? She getting under your skin?" Coulson asked Ward.

"Are you that easy to stir up?" Madison asked him, "You're worse than Fury".

"Or is it the assignment? Are you so anxious to get out of this that you'd deliberately blow an interrogation?" Coulson asked.

She followed the two agents into the control room.

"Give me a minute alone with her you'll have your answers", Ward said.

"She's an asset", Coulson said pulling a case out.

"She is _such_ an a... wait... "asset"?" Ward asked.

"She's a hacker Coulson. Why not hire Stark for that?" Madison asked, "I can put up with him. Unlike grumpy here".

Ward glared at Madison.

"We don't know anything about her. Do you appreciate how often that happens?" Coulson asked them, "That _never_ happens. We need...what she knows".

"Umm…what is that?" Madison asked, looking at the weird gun.

"It's a truth serum", Coulson said.

"Wait. Back up. So that is basically Veriterserum?" Madison asked.

The two agents looked at her.

"What? I like Harry Potter. Sue me", Madison snapped.

The two agents went back into the interrogation room, but only Coulson came back out.

"You stuck him with it didn't you?" she asked.

"How did you know?" Coulson asked.

"You forget, Coulson. You raised me. I know you", she told him.

* * *

About an hour later, Coulson and Madison went into the interrogation room, only to find Ward passed out on the table.

"Who is she?" Skye asked pointing to Madison.

"This is Agent Madison Barton. Her father is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, as was her mother before she died", Coulson explained.

They led Skye into the control room.

"Did Agent Ward give you anything?" Coulson asked.

"He told me he's been to Paris but he's never really seen it and that he wishes you had stayed in Tahiti", Skye said.

"It's a magical place", Coulson said.

"Ward doesn't like your style. Kind of think I _do__",__Skye said. _

_"_What about _his?__" _Coulson asked, swiping a video onto the main screen.

_ "__Remains in critical condition._ _Employees could not identify the attacker but security footage confirms that this man assaulted the factory foreman before damaging thousands of dollars' worth of company property__", _the reporter said.

_Okay, something is up with this guy. No normal man can do that…__, Madison thought. _

"This is wrong. This is not... the guy I met. He was…" Skye said, "He just needs a break".

"Then give him one. What have you got?" Coulson asked her. He called everyone into the control room and Skye set his driver's license down on the screen and the computer started pulling up information on him. "Michael Peterson... factory worker married one kid. Gets injured gets laid off. Wife jumps ship. Good guy bad breaks. Best guess is somebody tells him they can make him strong again make him super", Coulson explained.

"So someone wants to create super soldiers again?" Madison said, her hand coming up to her necklace.

"I'm afraid so Madison", Coulson said.

"Who has the tech to do that?" Agent May asked, "And why would they want to?"

"You'd think after what happened with Banner, no one would try making the super soldier serum again", Madison said.

"Fitz what do we have from the security footage before the blast?" Coulson asked.

Fitz pulled up the footage.

"What are we seeing?" Coulson asked.

"Well the man is angry at the other man", Fitz said.

Everyone looked at him.

"The data is very corrupt", Simmons said.

"Yeah like cold war Russia corrupt. Yeah", Fitz said, "I-I can't sync the timecode without..."

"What if you had the audio? I was... running surveillance on the lab. I had my shotgun mic pointed at the window before the blast. The digital file's in my van", Skye said, "There's too much background noise for me. But _you_ could probably..."

"You can clean that up can't you?" Simmons asked Fitz, "Find a sync point and use cross-field validation to find..."

"But I can't scrub for expression patterns when the vit-c is all..." Fitz said.

"Well is there a chrominance subcarrier?" Simmons asked.

"Yeah attached to the back porch. Brilliant. Um that audio would be great. Thank you very very much", Fitz said.

"We will take that audio please", Simmons said.

"Your van's here but you were right... We couldn't decrypt the files", Coulson said.

"The encryption's coupled to the GPS. Get my van back to that alley and then I'm in business", Skye said.

"Agent May will escort you", Coulson said, "Madison, go wake up Ward".

Madison rolled her eyes and went into the interrogation room. She walked up to a sleeping Ward and gently shook his shoulder. "C'mon Ward. Wake up", she said. She was suddenly on the metal table with Ward's hand around her throat. "Ward…" she gasped.

His eyes cleared and he pulled his hand back.

Madison was breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry", Ward said.

"Wouldn't be the first time I've nearly gotten choked by someone", she said sitting up, "You forget, my father is an agent and my boyfriend is a World War II survivor. I've been on the receiving end of nightmares and flashbacks". Madison rubbed her throat.

Coulson entered the room. "What's going on in here?" Coulson asked.

The situation looked worse than it was.

Ward was standing in between Madison's legs and Madison was panting. "We weren't…this isn't…" Ward stuttered.

"You okay?" Coulson asked Madison.

She nodded, still rubbing her throat.

"C'mon. Simmons thinks she's found something", Coulson said and left the room.

"I really am sorry, Madison", he told her.

Madison smiled.

"What?" Ward asked her.

"You called me Madison", she said, "I'm fine Ward. Really". She jumped down from the table and grabbed his chin. She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked her.

She shrugged and said, "Felt like it". She left the room, leaving Ward confused. Madison mentally slapped herself for doing that. She was with Steve. She loved him, but she couldn't deny the feelings she was developing for Ward.

* * *

She entered the lab as Coulson asked, "So the alien metal wasn't the explosive?"

"Well I assumed from the break pattern and dispersion that it _was_ but it's just dripping with gamma radiation and..." Simmons said sawing through it.

It oozed yellow goo.

"Oh! Now it's _actually_ dripping. Fun", Simmons said.

"So what did that get us?" Ward said entering the lab as well.

"Skye's sending us the rest of her decrypted files on Centipede. But we have her audio. I've loaded it up", Fitz said.

"Nice work", Coulson said to Ward.

Madison couldn't tell if he was referring to Ward's interrogation of Skye or the fact that he had just choked her.

Ward turned and gave him a look.

"Now using motion estimation Bayesian inference a beam splitter and a little diffraction theory. Our mystery man... appears", Fitz said.

A 3D model of the security footage appeared in the cargo hold.

"I love my job", Madison said looking at it.

"It's like magic. But it's... it's science", Fitz said.

"Magic is just science we don't understand yet", Madison said, "Arthur C. Clark". She didn't notice the small smile Coulson had on his face.

"Explosives in the case?" Ward asked.

"To please calm down. Just let me check your vitals", one of the figures spoke.

"I feel fine. I want to feel more. Where's the doctor? Where is she?!" the other yelled.

"I-if you don't settle down I-I'll have you sedated", the first one said.

"Where is she?!" the other yelled, smashing a chair.

"Wait. Did you... did you see that on his arm?" Fitz asked. He rewound the footage and the paused it.

Madison and Ward walked up to the video.

"What does that look like to you?" Coulson asked.

"A centipede", both Ward and Madison said.

"It's an intravenous filter for his blood. This goo sir... very similar to the serum Dr. Erskine developed in the 40's for the..." Simmons said.

"Super soldiers", Coulson and Madison said.

Madison's hand came up to her necklace again.

"I'm reading alien metal gamma radiation the serum... every known source of superpower thrown in a blender", Simmons said.

"We need to see the origin of the blast. Run it back from the last point recorded", Coulson said.

Fitz rewound the footage again in slow motion.

They watched the explosion became the guy with the centipede on his arm.

"Extremis. It's new. Completely unstable", Coulson said.

"Poor man didn't _bring_ an explosive", Simmons said.

"He _was _the explosive", Madison said, bring the pendant up to her mouth. She nervously played with the pendant.

"And Mike has the same stuff in his system", Simmons said.

"And judging by his strength level a lot more", Ward said, noticing Madison's nervous tick.

"So any minute now Mike is gonna...?" Fitz asked.

"He'll take out anyone within a two-block radius", Simmons said.

Coulson turned to Ward. "Well... you wanted a bomb", he said.

* * *

Coulson, Madison, and Ward went up to the control center and Madison watched as Ward disassembled his sniper gun.

"Damn, that's a nice gun", Madison said walking up to Ward, "I obviously lean towards the bow myself".

"I'm sorry about what I said about your father", Ward said.

"It's okay. We all have out moments of weakness. My father was taken against his will, so in reality, it wasn't really his fault", Madison said, "I'm lucky the Security Council didn't want him terminated. I don't know what I would do without him".

Suddenly, Fitz and Simmons ran into the cabin of the plane.

"Sir? He didn't explode because he was angry. The two _are_ connected. It... it's kind of a chemical surge. But calming him down will buy him a minute at most. He _will_ detonate within the next few hours", Simmons said.

"Solution?" Coulson asked.

"Isolate him, get him away from people", Simmons said.

"Or?" Coulson asked.

"Put a bullet through his brain", Fitz said.

"A bullet?" Madison asked, "What about an arrow?"

"No Madison", Coulson said.

"But Phil…" she said.

Ever since Madison had woken up from her coma, she was itching to get back in the game.

"No", Coulson said.

"If he's dead this irradiated metabolic process will stop", Simmons said.

"We need to come up with a third option... one that doesn't involve Mike's son losing a father", Coulson said.

"We have a couple of hours at most. There's no way that we could possibly..." Simmons said.

"Don't ever tell me there's no way! It's on you. Get it done", Coulson said.

Madison knew what it was like losing a parent, even though she'd been too young to remember it.

Ward had finished breaking down his gun and put it in a bag.

"May?" Coulson asked.

"He took Skye", May said.

"You all right?" Coulson asked her.

"We'll deal with that later...at length", she said, "Right now we need to figure out where they went".

Coulson looked at Madison and Ward. "Suit up", he told them.

Madison nodded and bolted to her room.

She quickly changed into her S.H.I.E.L.D. suit and grabbed her quiver and arrows. She strapped her father's knife to her thigh and quickly through her hair up in a ponytail. She also grabbed her gun and strapped it to her other thigh. The door opened as she was loading her gun. She looked up and saw Ward.

"C'mon", he said.

She tucked her necklace into her suit and followed Ward to the cargo hold.

They got in the SUV.

Ward in the driver's seat and Madison in the back.

Coulson got in the passenger seat. "Union Station", Coulson told Ward as they backed out of the plane, "Ready Madison?"

"Born ready", she said adjusting some of her arrows.

Time to go to work.

* * *

They got to Union Station and got out of the SUV.

Madison started to pull an arrow out of her quiver, but Ward grabbed her wrist.

He shook his head. "Look at this place. You're gonna risk thousands of lives over some nobody", Ward said to Coulson.

"Nobody's nobody Ward. Fitz-Simmons will come through", Coulson told him.

They walked up to the van.

Coulson pulled out a bullhorn and said, "Mr. Peterson good morning. We're not a threat. We're here to help. But you're in danger and we need to take you in". The door of the van flew towards them.

Ward grabbed Madison and pulled her out of the way.

"Thanks", she said panting.

"Anytime", he told her.

Peterson grabbed his son and Skye and ran into the train station.

Ward reached for his gun.

Madison handed it to him and helped him up. She grabbed an arrow and loaded it into her bow. Madison followed Coulson inside.

They quickly located Peterson's son.

"Hey. Let's get him out of here", Coulson said to a female officer.

"I want my daddy", Ace said.

"Look at me. I promise you'll see your daddy again. Right now, we need you to go with this nice lady", Madison told him.

He looked down and saw her necklace.

She quickly took it off and put it around his neck. "This will keep you safe. Now I'll be back for that later", she told him. She kissed his forehead and nodded at the female officer.

"Come on honey", the female officer said, leading him out of the train station.

"Ace! Ace!" Peterson yelled.

Ward came up behind Peterson and kicked him in the back of the knee and grabbed him around the neck. "Look... the stuff inside you is unstable. It'll kill you and everyone in here", Ward told him.

"Who's gonna miss us?!" Peterson said as he backed up and slammed Ward into a glass case. He flipped Ward over his shoulder and onto his back.

"Madison! Take him down!" Ward rasped through her ear piece.

She lined up her shot and fired.

The arrow landed in Peterson's leg, but nothing happened.

"Stupid super soldier serum", she cursed. She made a mental note to yell at Steve later.

"We're at the north entrance, May", Coulson said over the ear piece.

Madison ran over to help Ward up.

Coulson walked over to them.

"You told them to hold fire", Ward said.

"I don't think that's us. We may have a third party here", Coulson said, "He's gonna head down to the tracks. You stay high. I'll go low".

"What about you?" Ward asked Madison.

"Unlike my father, I like to shoot things point blank", she said loading another arrow into her bow.

"Only take the shot if you have to Ward", Coulson said as Ward started to walk off, "Ward!"

"If I have to", Ward agreed.

A few seconds later, Peterson fell from the second story and crashed into the information booth.

Coulson and Madison walked up to him.

Madison already had an arrow in her bow, ready to shoot.

Coulson put his gun down.

"Think that means anything?" Peterson asked.

"Madison, put your bow down", he told her.

Madison hesitated.

"Madison…" Coulson warned.

She pulled her arm back and set the bow on the ground.

"I know you got men everywhere waiting to put me down. I know how this plays out", Peterson said.

"_I_ don't. I know you got poison in your system. I know it's burning you up. Mike the last guy who wore that _exploded__", _Coulson told him.

"I'm not like that other guy. I'm... It matters who I am... inside if I'm a good person if I'm strong", Peterson said.

"I have a clear shot. Do you copy?" Ward asked over the earpiece.

"I know you're strong. Your boy knows it. He needs you to let us help", Coulson said.

"You took him!" Peterson yelled.

"He's safe. I promise you. On my father's grave, you will see your son again. Just come with us and we'll take to you to him", Madison said. She glanced up at Ward.

"You took my wife, my job, my house. You think this is killing me?! All over there's people being pushed down being robbed. One of them tries to stand up you got to make an example out of him", Peterson said.

"You bring this building down on us, will that help them?" Coulson asked.

"That's a lie! All you do is lie!" Peterson said, slamming a piece of debris into the remaining information booth.

Madison's hand moved to her knife.

"You said if we worked hard...if we did right...we'd have a place. You said it was enough to be a man. But there's better than man. There's gods. And the rest of us... What are we? They're giants. We're what they step on", Peterson said.

"I know", Coulson said, "I've _seen_ giants... up close. And that privilege cost me...nearly everything. But the good ones...the real deal... they're not heroes because of what they have that we don't. It's what they do with it. You're right Mike. It matters who you are".

"I could you know? Be a hero", Peterson said.

"I'm counting on it", Coulson said.

Suddenly there was a gunshot and Peterson dropped to the ground.

There was a bullet wound in his forehead.

Madison grabbed her bow and loaded an arrow, ready to shoot Ward.

Coulson grabbed her arms and said, "He's fine Madison. It's okay. He's fine. Subject is in stable condition. All clear at Union Station".

"But Ward…I thought he…" Madison said.

"He's fine. Just stunned. Now come on. I believe you have a necklace you need to get back", Coulson told her.

* * *

They ended up taking Peterson's son to stay at his aunt's house.

"Now you need to be strong, okay?" Madison told him, "Okay? Captain America would want you to be strong".

"Captain America?" he asked.

"Personal friend of mine", she told him, "He gave me that necklace you're wearing".

"Captain America gave you this?" he asked.

"Yeah and here's a little secret from me to you. I helped him in the Battle of Manhattan", she told him.

"You're an Avenger?" he asked.

Madison nodded. "You know who Hawkeye is? He's my father", she said.

Ace took off the Shield necklace and held it out to Madison. "It kept me safe like you told me it would", he said.

"Well then let's hope it keeps me safe too", Madison said putting it back on.

"Can you do one more thing?" he asked.

"Anything", she said.

He whispered it in her ear.

"I think I can manage that", she told him. She kissed his forehead and walked back over to Coulson, while Skye talked to Ace.

"What did he whisper to you?" Coulson asked.

"He wants a picture of all the Avengers, signed", she told him, "I told him I could manage that".

"You have a wonderful way with children", Coulson said.

"Thanks", Madison said blushing.

"You'll make a wonderful mother one day", he told her.

"I just hope I can live up to my mother", she said.

Skye walked back over to them. "I told him his father was coming home", she said.

"He _will._ We have some experience with this", Coulson said.

"He almost blew. We almost died", Skye said.

"Wasn't the first time, won't be the last", Madison told her.

"We have some experience with _that_ too", Coulson said.

"Don't have it _all mapped out__", _Skye said_._

_ "_True. We didn't cut off the head of the Centipede. Whoever sponsored that little experiment is still out there among other things", Coulson said.

"It's a brave new world. And a really old car", Skye said.

Madison laughed as she got in the car.

"Lola can keep up. What about _you?_ Have you thought about the offer?" Coulson asked as the two got in.

"Hitching a ride on the crazy plane? I'm not exactly a team player", Skye told him.

"We're not exactly a team", Coulson said, reminding Madison of Banner, "But we're in a position to do some good. You'd be a great help. And you'd be front row center at the strangest show on earth. Which is after all what you wanted".

"I was able to hack S.H.I.E.L.D. from my van. You're gonna show me something new?" Skye asked.

Coulson phone started ringing. "Go", Coulson said.

"Sir we've got an 804", Ward said.

"Is that confirmed?" Coulson asked.

"They want _us_ to go in and confirm it", Ward said.

"What's an 804?" Skye asked as Coulson started the car.

"You've got exactly 10 minutes to decide if you really want to know", Coulson told her.

"There's no way we can make it to the airfield in...10 minutes", Skye said as the car started to rise. She reminded Madison of Steve the first time he got on the helicarrier.

"The tide is rising", Coulson said and the car took off.

* * *

When Madison was back on board the plane, she went to her room and called Steve.

"Hey, how was your first mission with the new team?" Steve asked her.

"Good. I miss you though", she said.

"I miss you too, but Fury's got me busy too", Steve said.

"This is why two agents should never fall in love", Madison told him.

"But you forget, I'm not an agent. I'm a consultant", Steve reminded her.

"I never knew being a full field agent would mean I would be so busy", Madison told him, "But I'm a level higher than my father now".

"What last name are you using?" Steve asked.

Madison was quiet for a few moments. "My real last name. I'm still trying to come up with a new one. That and a codename", she told him. She heard a slight noise. She looked over and saw Agent Ward standing there.

"Listen, I've gotta go now", Madison said.

"Okay. I guess I'll talk to you later", Steve said, "I love you".

"I love you too", she said and hung up. She turned to Ward and said, "And how can I help you?"

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"I'm fine", she told him.

Ward raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay. I'm not", Madison said. She moved over and made room for Ward on her bed. "I just can't believe Coulson is alive. The man helped raise me when my father was away on missions. I'm surprised Fury put me on this, considering I was one of the people who thought he was dead. I never went to the funeral of course; I was in a coma…" Madison said.

"Madison…you're rambling", Ward said.

Madison blushed and bit her lip. She fiddled with her necklace that Steve had given to her before she left.

"You sure play with that a lot", Ward said.

"Steve gave it to me before I left", she told him.

"So what were you saying?" Ward asked.

"Coulson was dead and now he's not and I can't tell anyone about it", Madison said softly.

Ward felt bad for the girl. "C'mere", he said.

She curled up into his side.

Ward had never met Agent Barton or Captain Rogers, but they were lucky to have this young woman in their lives. "I'm here for you Madison", he told her.

"Thanks Ward", she said, starting to fall asleep.

"Grant. You can call me Grant", Ward told her.

Madison didn't answer.

He repositioned himself so she was lying on his chest. He reached over and turned off the light and closed his eyes. He was asleep in a few minutes.

* * *

**I just had to throw in that Thor reference.**


	5. 0-8-4 and mixed signals

Chapter 4

**I do not own Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in any way.**

**A/N-So far one person wants Grant/Madison and two don't. I'm questioning what I'm going to do at this point. So be sure to let me know whether you want some Grant/Madison or not.**

* * *

Skye decided to take Coulson up on his offer.

"Skye? Girl's not qualified to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent", Ward said.

"I don't think most of us were when we first started", Madison said.

"Agreed. That's why I've invited her on as a consultant. S.H.I.E.L.D. does it all the time. Technically, Stark's a consultant", Coulson said. He looked at Madison. "As is Captain Rogers", Coulson added.

"And technically, Skye's a member of the Rising Tide. She hacked our RSA implementation", Ward said.

"Twice. From a laptop. Imagine what she'll do with our resources", Coulson said.

"I am. That's exactly what I'm imagining during this frown. You brought me on for risk assessment. She's a risk. She doesn't think like us", Ward said.

"I don't think anyone really thinks like us", Madison argued.

"Exactly", Coulson said, "She could be helpful".

"We have two kids on this bus who aren't cleared for combat. You're adding a third. Agent Barton shouldn't even be fighting due to her injuries sustained during the Battle of Manhattan", May said, causing Madison to glare at the woman.

"At least Fitz-Simmons are trained S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists. But Skye? You said this was a select team. Assembled to work new cases, to protect people. I don't see how letting some hacker tag along", Ward argued.

"I'm looking for an objection I haven't already anticipated. I'm calling this. But your frown will be on record", Coulson said.

Madison snickered.

"We've been called in to investigate an 0-8-4. We all know what that means", Ward said.

"Yes, we do. It means we don't know _what_ that means", Coulson said.

"Please tell it doesn't involve two Viking brothers again", Madison said, "I mean…Thor's cool and all, but Loki…"

Coulson handed Agent May a tablet and she walked out of the control room.

A few seconds later, they heard, "Wheels up in two. Lock it or lose it".

"Well…we should go greet our new team member", Coulson said.

The two walked up to Skye.

"Sweet ride", she said.

"I earned a little goodwill from Director Fury when I got hit right before the Battle of Manhattan", Coulson told her.

"You took a bullet?" Skye asked.

"Ish. An Asgardian stabbed me through the heart with a Chitauri scepter. The effect was similar. Got a few weeks' R&R and this plane. Had it completely refurbished. Studs up spared no expense", Coulson explained.

"Yeah, Agent Ward told me they sent you to Tahiti", Skye said.

"It's a magical place", Coulson said again.

"You mentioned that", Skye said.

The three sat down on the couch.

Skye got ready to set her water down on the table when Coulson said, "Here. Use a coaster".

Skye set it down on the coaster.

"Buckle up", Coulson told her.

"I don't even know where we're going", Skye said.

"Peru. That's where the 0-8-4 was reported", Coulson told her.

"And an 0-8-4 is...?" Skye asked.

"An object of unknown origin", Madison explained.

"Kind of like you. Team goes in, determines if it's useful or if it poses a threat. Last one turned out to be pretty interesting", Coulson added.

"And what was the last one?" Skye asked.

"A hammer", Coulson told her.

"So what's your story?" Skye asked Madison, "All I know is that you're an agent and so is your father".

"My step-mother is one too. She's Natasha Romanoff", Madison said, "I'm 16, almost 17. My mother died in my father's arms in Russia after a mission went wrong when I was baby. My father taught me to shoot a bow at the age of 5 and then Natasha taught me how to fight. I had just turned 16 when my father was taken by Loki. That's how I met Captain Rogers. We started dating before the Battle of Manhattan. I got injured during the battle and went into a coma for 3 months".

"Wow", Skye said, "I'm sorry you had to go through all that".

Madison simply smiled.

Maybe Skye wasn't as bad as she seemed.

* * *

They touched down in Peru and drove to the site.

"Tire tracks 40 meters back. I'll check them against the site's trucks make sure we're alone", Ward said.

"Paranoid much?" Madison muttered as she slipped on her quiver.

"I heard that", Ward said.

"Oops. Did I say that out loud?" Madison asked in an innocent tone.

"Too much exposure here. I'm gonna find a place to park", May said.

Madison walked over to where Coulson and Skye were.

"We should warn the people who live around here if the 0-8-4 is dangerous. They're already dealing with anti mining rebels and the shining path guerillas. I could post something", Skye said as they followed Fitz and Simmons.

"Remember the panic when that anti matter meteor splashed down just off the coast of Miami, nearly devoured the city?" Coulson asked.

"No", both Skye and Madison said.

"Precisely. Because we kept it quiet and contained", Coulson said.

"So, what am I doing?" Skye asked.

"Well, if it gets out, I might need you to create some kind of diversion, put the public on the wrong scent", Coulson said.

"So everything that I'm against", Skye said.

"Yep", Coulson said. He walked up to the temple.

"I'd get used to this if I were you", Madison said walking past her.

"Good morning, Professor. I'm Agent Coulson with S.H.I.E.L.D. I understand you've made an interesting discovery", Coulson said.

The professor sighed and said, "I...I'm not sure how to explain it. This temple dates back at least 500 years. It's filled with pre-Incan artifacts. One of them is impossible and looks like it might be dangerous".

"Well, that's why we're here", Coulson said.

The professor led them into the temple.

They saw something embedded in the rock of the temple.

"Exactly as we found it", the professor said.

"Who else knows about this?" Coulson asked.

"Just the ministry. I believe they are the ones who contacted you", the professor said.

"Sir, I need you and your team to evacuate the site until we determine the risk associated with this object", Coulson said.

Fitz' drones started flying around the place.

One flew up to the professor.

"Leave the man alone", Simmons told it.

Another flew over to Madison and landed on her shoulder like a bird. "Hello there", she said giggling. She looked over at Fitz.

He blushed and said, "Sorry".

"Now for your own safety", Coulson told the professor.

"Nothing about this anywhere. It's amazing. I searched every data stream. What do we got here, guys?" Skye asked. Skye walked up to it and started to reach for it.

"Whoa, car uh, careful. I-I no, wouldn't do that", Fitz told her.

"The object's placement in fossiliferous rock formations suggests it's been here for at least 1500 years. That pre-dates this temple by a millennium. Ah! Maybe it's alien", Simmons said.

The word 'alien' made Madison reach for her necklace.

_On the way, she encountered several Chitauri. She fired all the arrows she had. She threw down her bow and pulled a gun from the holster inside her uniform. She started firing it, but also quickly ran out of ammo. Madison had no weapons to fight. One of the Chitauri grabbed her by her throat and threw her into the stone wall of a building. The moment Madison's head hit the pavement, she was out. Someone was yelling her name. She kicked and screamed, trying to fight her way back to consciousness. "Madison!"_

"Madison!" the voice yelled.

She opened her eyes and found Coulson holding her wrists. She looked around.

They were still in the temple.

She was gasping for breath.

"Are you okay?" Skye asked her.

Coulson let go of her wrists and Madison said, "I'm fine".

Fitz cleared his throat and said, "The shape and the craftsmanship it's almost German".

"Sir?" Ward's voice said over Coulson's com.

"Go", Coulson said.

"We have a situation", Ward said.

Madison pulled an arrow out of her quiver and loaded it into her bow.

"Lots of rebels in this area", Skye said.

"Not enough gunfire", Coulson said. He looked over at Madison and nodded.

She crept out of the temple and stood in between Ward and May.

Coulson came out of the temple and said, "_Buenos dias. Soy Agente Coulson estamos aquí por un astoto de la seguridad internacional"._

A woman walked up flanked by soldiers._ "_Phillip?" she asked.

"Camilla?" Coulson asked her, "Do you mind?"

"After you", she said.

Ward, May, and Madison put down their weapons, along with Camilla's soldiers.

The soldiers backed off and Camilla walked up to Coulson.

"And now for a proper hello", Camilla said kissing Coulson's cheeks.

"Comandante a promotion. Congratulations", Coulson said.

"Three years ago. But thank you", Camilla said.

"Agent Melinda May, Agent Grant Ward, Agent Madison Barton, this is Comandante Camilla Reyes. She's with the Policía Militar del Perú. We used to work together back in the day", Coulson said.

"I bet you did", Madison muttered, causing the other two agents to smirk.

"Let the team know everything's okay", Coulson said, "Agent Barton. Stay".

Madison wanted to snap at him about not being a dog, but decided against it.

"I know you've found a strange object on Peruvian soil. We should have a conversation about how to proceed", Camilla said.

"Of course. But an 0-8-4 supercedes all national claims", Coulson said.

"You look good", Camilla said.

"Yeah, I work out", Coulson said.

Madison rolled her eyes. If this is what they called flirting…

"Come, let me show you something", Camilla said, putting an arm around Coulson's shoulder.

Madison got ready to follow them, but looked back at Ward.

He gave her a small nod.

She nodded back and followed the two. As she followed them, two soldiers flanked her and Madison started to get a bad feeling.

Suddenly, a shack behind them blew up.

The soldiers started firing, reminding Madison of the Chitauri shooting at them during the Battle of Manhattan.

"Rebels", Camilla said.

Coulson and her pulled out their guns.

Madison decided against using her bow and pulled her gun from its holster on her thigh.

The three of them ducked behind a turned over table.

"Your men need to fall back now, or we'll never make the runway", Coulson told Camilla, "Now your truck. Let's go!"

They watched as Ward shot at the rebels and then pulled out a rod.

"Tell your men to get down", Coulson said.

They all ducked down as the device was plunged into the ground, knocking everyone off their feet.

May drove up in the one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. vans. "Move! Now!" she yelled.

They all piled into the SUV.

As they drove off, some of the rebels followed them and shot at them.

Madison's hand came up to her arm. She could feel blood coming out of the wound and she tried to breathe through the pain.

"Coulson's secure in PMP's truck. Take the south route to the airfield", Ward told May.

"Gotcha", May said.

"Slow down!" Fitz yelled.

"You're joking, right?" Skye snapped.

"Ward, listen! We have to be careful. There's a binding energy structure that could overheat", Fitz said.

"I could roll down a window!" Simmons said.

Bullets ricochet off the SUV.

"Do not roll down a window!" Skye yelled.

"Stay quiet and keep your heads down. Head left. The ravine empties", Ward said. Ward looked into the rear view mirror and saw Madison in the back with her eyes shut. "Madison!" he called.

"I'm fine", she whimpered.

"But, Ward!" Fitz, Simmons, and Skye yelled.

"Quiet!" both Ward and May yelled.

"How fast can you have the wheels up?" Ward asked May.

"Fast", she answered.

They drove into the plane.

"Ramp!" May yelled.

"On it", Ward said going over to the controls.

"What are you doing?! Coulson is still out there!" Skye yelled.

"Get off the ramp. You're in the line of fire", Ward snapped.

Coulson, Camilla, and a handful of soldiers ran into the plane.

The ramp started to come up.

"Cut it pretty close, sir", Ward said.

"Didn't want to leave anyone behind", Coulson said.

At those words, Ward ran to the back of the SUV and lifted Madison out.

"Thanks", she said softly.

"I got to say it. I miss my van", Skye said chuckling nervously.

"Now, what was the problem?" Ward asked.

"As I said before, this device has a high frequency, fluctuating, sub material compression", Fitz said.

"Fitz, in English", Ward said.

"The 0-8-4 is fueled by Tesseract technology. Hydra. World War II. Captain America. It's full of lethal amounts of gamma radiation", Fitz said.

"Gamma, you're saying it's nuclear?" Ward asked.

"No. He's saying it's much, much worse", Coulson said.

They all backed away from it.

Coulson, Ward, and Camilla started to go upstairs.

"Are you okay?" Ward asked Madison.

"Yeah. It's not deep. I can patch myself up. I'll stay down here with the geeks since I'm a Captain America expert", she said.

"I'm just trying to look after you", Ward said.

"I know you are", she told him, "Now go on".

Ward went upstairs and Madison made her way into the lab.

"Not to worry. The device is stable", Simmons said lifting the 0-8-4 out of the bag, "Not that it couldn't explode at any minute, especially if hit with machine gun fire. But things like this happen from time to time when in the field, and at first, it's very unpleasant, and you regret your decision to leave the lab at all".

The door opened and Fitz, plus Ward entered.

"Are you mental? I did explain in great detail exactly what I meant; using the queen's bloody English!" Fitz yelled.

"I use _normal_ English words like "duck" and "run" and "might blow us to pieces."", Ward snapped.

"Oh. Oh! Well, congratulations, Agent Ward. You managed to string three words together in a sentence", Fitz said.

Sometimes Ward and Fitz made her think about Steve and Stark and how they loved to argue with each other. Ward and Fitz continued to argue while Madison patched herself up.

Luckily, the bullet had just barely hit her, but her arm would take a couple of days to heal.

"I'm trying to tell you…!" Fitz yelled.

"It doesn't help anyway, because I don't understand anything you are saying!" Ward yelled back.

Coulson entered the lab and said, "Do we have a problem in here?"

"No, sir. Just working on our communication. Not everyone was prepared for a firefight", Ward said.

"We got out, didn't lose anyone, saved a few of theirs I'd say we did all right. Anything else?" Coulson asked.

Skye raised her hand. "Uh, yeah. I have a small question. Because I've been feeling like the tag-along hayseed rookie, but now I get the sense that Ward doesn't know which one's Simmons and which one's Fitz, and they've seen even less gunfire than me, and I'm no rocket scientist, but is this your first mission together?" Skye asked.

"No. Of course not. It's our second", Simmons said.

"I was your first? That's sweet", Skye said.

"You're amused?" Ward asked her.

"I'm terrified. I am in way over my head, but I have been on this team just as long as any of you. I might as well be team captain", Skye said.

Simmons scoffed.

"I was joking, but maybe that's not a bad idea, because these guys do not like each other much", Skye said.

"This isn't about that. I'm a specialist. Today, I could have eliminated the enemy threat myself if I was working alone, but I had non-combat ready agents..." Ward said, "Besides Madison of course".

"Whoa, whoa. Wait. You work alone?" Fitz asked.

"So typical. Who do you think designs your equipment?" Simmons asked him.

"Or the polymers for your weaponry. People like us do it", Fitz added.

"Try going into the field with just your bare bum", Simmons finished.

"See them proving the point I just made?" Skye asked Coulson.

"You're not wrong. We still need to iron out the kinks. But, Ward, you can speak six languages. Madison's the best marksman I've seen since her father. Simmons, you have two PhD's in fields I can't pronounce, and, Fitz, you _are_ a rocket scientist. So work it out", Coulson snapped, leaving the lab.

"I-I'm-I'm good at stuff, too", Skye called.

* * *

Ward and Skye decided to leave Fitz and Simmons to do their work, while Madison fiddled around with her arrows, like she used to on the heli-carrier with Stark and Banner.

Some days she really missed living and working with the Avengers.

"So, should we work or just continue to…" Simmons asked.

"I'm saying I said there would come a moment when we would regret the decision to go in the field", Fitz said, "I didn't think that would happen in week one".

"Oh, God", Simmons scoffed rolling her eyes; "This seam in the sedimentary layers suggests some sort of molten cave in a few decades back".

"Yeah, well, this here it's optical amplification. Now, I think well, I'm most likely dead on that the tesseratic energy excites plasma with an inverse population of energy levels", Fitz said.

"A laser", Simmons said.

"Kinda like the one that used to come out of Loki's scepter", Madison said.

The two scientists looked at her.

"A ray of...pure energy two terajoules", Fitz said, "See the amplifier? We're lucky the drones didn't trigger it while we were taking electromagnetic readings. This is a weapon, powerful enough to…"

"Enough to melt through 500 feet of solid rock to bury itself. Imagine what it could do to a person", Simmons said.

"Yeah, or an airplane. For example", Fitz said.

Madison watched Fitz-Simmons work.

"Earlier, in the temple, were you okay?" Simmons asked her.

"Yeah. Just a little flashback is all", Madison said brushing it off.

"Looked like one hell of a flashback", Fitz said.

"I don't wanna talk about it", Madison said.

The lab door opened and one of the soldiers started to go after Fitz.

Madison grabbed her knife and threw it.

It landed in the soldier's shoulder.

The soldier cried out in pain and instead went after Madison.

The space was too small to fire an arrow or a bullet.

Madison tried fighting him off, but she ended up being thrown into the table and hitting her head on the corner. She dropped to the floor holding her head.

The soldier pulled her off the floor and grabbed a scalpel and held it to her throat.

She'd never be so scared in her life. She was 16 and was convinced she was going to die young.

Just like her mother.

Her eyes filled with tears as she was forced to look up at the security camera.

* * *

They brought Ward, May, and Skye down to the cargo hold and then bound all their hands.

"This is my fault. Should have learned kung fu", Fitz said.

"If only I'd been able to fight him off", Madison muttered.

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have pushed you into the field in the first place. You weren't ready", Simmons told Fitz.

"Don't beat yourself up. That guy was twice your size. It was my job to make a proper threat assessment", Ward said.

"I'll stop beating myself up when you stop it too" Madison said.

"Uh, we. _We_ weren't ready", Fitz told her.

"This wouldn't have happened if Agent May wasn't on the stick. She would have busted out some of her ninja know how", Skye said.

"Agent May? No. No, no. She transferred from administration", Fitz told her.

"Well, I've seen her destroy a guy, so..." Skye said.

All the young agents turned to Ward.

"You've heard of the cavalry?" Ward asked them.

"Yeah", both Fitz and Simmons said.

"Everyone at the academy talks about st…" Fitz said.

Fitz and Simmons realized. "She's the cavalry?!" they both said.

"I told you never to call me that", May said starting to wake up.

"I can't believe it. Oh, we're sure to get out of here now. Um, how do we get out of here?" Simmons asked.

May sat up and said, "Can't go through the doors. They're bolted, tied to the pressurization lines. You two geniuses have nothing?"

"Yeah, well, it's hard to concentrate in these intense situations", Fitz said.

"Hey. Don't freeze up", Ward told him, "Take a breath. You don't need to come up with the whole solution. Just part of it. Right?"

"Yeah", Skye said, "Pieces solving a puzzle".

* * *

"Well, that's clearly the worst idea we've heard yet", Simmons said.

They had been debating ideas for the last 10 minutes.

"But it could work", Skye said.

"Reyes is gonna kill us the minute we land, regardless, and blame it on rebels", Ward said, "This way, we have a fighting chance. I'll take it. What's first?"

"We can't get upstairs without going in the lab", Fitz said.

"And the only way to release the lab doors is from upstairs", Simmons added.

"The first thing is, we're tied to the cargo door, so unless you can…" Skye said.

They all heard a cracking noise.

"What the hell was that?" Fitz asked.

"Her wrist", Ward sighed.

May was able to get out of the ropes and disarmed the guard guarding the door to upstairs. She popped her wrist back into place. "What's next?" she asked. She walked over and helped everyone get free.

Ward untied Madison's wrists and helped her up.

Madison had a dizzy spell and Ward steadied her.

"You okay?" he asked, lightly touching the wound on her forehead.

"I'm not going to be any help", Madison told him.

"That's okay. We'll find you a way to help", Ward told her.

"I'll take the kid", May said. May grabbed her arm and lead her over to one of the SUV's.

Madison got in the driver's side. "I can't drive!" Madison said.

"All I need you to do is ram this into the lab doors. Think you can do that?" May asked her.

"Yes ma'am", Madison said nodding.

May turned on the SUV and said, "Now!"

Madison slammed her foot down onto the gas pedal and they went crashing into the lab doors.

Ward ran over to the window of the SUV. "Madison? Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'll be fine. Just go", she told him.

He started to walk away before she yelled, "Grant!" He turned back to her.

"Be careful", she said.

He nodded and followed the others.

May got out of the SUV to go help the others.

Ward gave Madison one last look before they went upstairs.

While the others were executing the plan, Madison reached for her necklace as tears streamed down her face.

This was not what she signed up for.

She loved being a field agent, but she was scared. She wanted to be at home in Brooklyn, curled up on the couch with Steve. Suddenly she felt the plane lurch. She snapped out of it and unbuckled herself. She got out of the SUV and noticed that the others were in the main cabin of the plane.

Madison looked for her bow, but she didn't remember where the soldiers had put it. She decided to rely on her knife and gun that they hadn't confiscated. Madison could feel the nose of the plane moving down. She struggled to get up the stairs, not wanting a repeat of what happened on the heli-carrier. She made it into the cabin and saw Ward wrestling with one of the soldiers. She saw the two of them heading towards the hole in the plane.

The soldier was holding onto Ward's hand.

Madison dropped to the ground and pulled out her gun. She aimed for the soldier's arm and shot.

The bullet hit its target.

The soldier was sucked out of the cabin.

Ward let go of the pole he was holding on to.

"Grant!" Madison yelled.

Luckily, a safety raft covered the hole before Ward could go flying out.

Madison rushed over to Ward's side. "Oh my god. I thought you were…" Madison said putting her hands on his cheeks.

Ward could see the fear in Madison's brown eyes. He was reminded of her age.

Skye walked over to him and helped him up.

Madison tried to wipe at eyes, not wanting the team to see her break down.

"I read the safety pamphlet", Skye said.

"I think you might be the first", Ward said.

Madison sat down and pulled her knees to her chest as she watched Skye and Ward walk off. Madison had been so worried about him and he brushed her off.

Coulson walked over to her. "C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up", he said. He led her over to the rest of the group. "No other way in, huh?" Coulson asked setting a glass on the bar, "Was just starting to warm up to this place".

Skye set a coaster down on the bar and put the glass on top of it.

"The 0-8-4 is cooling and stable. But we should call H.Q. and get it to the Slingshot as soon as possible", Fitz said.

* * *

While they were on their way to the Slingshot, Madison went to her room to patch herself up again. As she was trying to clean the wound on her head, she heard someone knock on her door. She opened it and found Ward. "What do you want?" she spat at him.

"Look, Madison. I'm sorry", he said.

She pulled him into her room and locked the door. She turned to him and slapped him. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?! I thought you were going to die!" she hissed, "And then you just brushed me off. Before, you seemed like you were worried about me".

"Why do you care?" he asked.

Madison was silent before saying, "I don't know".

"Clearly I'm not the only one sending mixed signals", he said.

Madison's cheeks turned red. She simply turned away from him and continued to clean her wound.

Ward grabbed her wrist, stopping her. He grabbed the cloth from her. "Let me help you", he said softly. He gently cleaned it before putting a bandage on it.

"Looks like you could use some patching up too", Madison said noticing the blood on his shirt.

"I'll be fine", he told her, tucking some hair behind her ear. He kissed her forehead softly, before leaving her alone in her room.

* * *

A couple of hours later, they arrived at the Slingshot.

Madison had planned on staying in her room, but Fitz-Simmons managed to drag her out.

"We blew up a plane", Fitz said as they came down the stairs.

"I had a new experience", Simmons said.

"Eat that, Professor Vaughn", Fitz said.

"You had a new experience. But it was new for all of us", Simmons said.

Madison giggled at the pair.

They reminded her of her father and Natasha.

How they always seemed to be in sync with each other.

"They're happy", May said.

_Not all of them,_ Ward thought, looking at Madison.

"Hey, come on. You guys don't want to miss this", Fitz said.

They all sat down on the ramp of the plane.

"So, it'll take about 180 days to reach the sun", Fitz said, "Now, yes, of course, it would have been faster if they'd used hydrogen fueled APUs, but they're having fun".

Simmons started pulling beers out of the cooler, making Madison somewhat uncomfortable. "Do you want one?" Simmons asked.

"Uh…not legal", Madison said.

"Sorry. We just keep forgetting you're underage", Simmons said laughing nervously.

Ward bumped her shoulder with his and held out his bottle.

She looked at him, raising her eyebrows. Madison reached for it.

"Touch that and I'll make sure you never get your bow back", Coulson's voice said.

Madison blushed.

"Sorry", Ward whispered.

She shrugged in response.

"How many of those have you guys had?" Skye asked the others.

Simmons laughed and said, "Skye. It's important when in the field to unwind from time to time".

Madison reached up to her necklace and thought about Steve.

"Yeah, yeah, especially after a hard day of everyone almost dying", Fitz said.

"Which doesn't happen every day, right? It's an anomaly an irregularity. Not...the norm", Simmons said.

"Speaking of "not the norm," whose idea was it to blow a hole in the plane?" Coulson asked.

"May said that the doors were tied to the pressurization, so I thought…" Skye said.

"So _we_ thought it was the only way to release them", Simmons said.

"It was everyone's idea, sir", Ward said.

_Well not everyone's idea…,_ Madison thought, but kept her mouth shut.

"Yes, quite genius, really", Fitz said.

"Nice work", Coulson said.

"All clear for liftoff", a man announced.

"Oh, time for blastoff", Fitz said. Fitz pinched his nose shut, making his voice all nasally.

The team laughed at his impression.

"Launching...In three...two..." Fitz said.

Before he could say one, the spaceship launched.

"The trajectory will take it beyond the Lagrange point so that it doesn't hit Herschel", Fitz said.

"And there haven't been any coronal mass ejections, so it shouldn't lose telemetry", Simmons added.

"Guys, English", Ward said.

They watched it shoot up into the sky.

Minutes after it disappeared, Madison continued to stare at the sky. "Oh my god", she heard Fitz say. Madison hadn't heard the motorcycle drive up. She screamed and jumped off the ramp. She ran into Steve's arm and kissed him. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Miss me?" he asked.

"You have no idea", she said kissing him again.

Steve pulled back. "I'm here because I came to say goodbye", Steve said.

"Why?" Madison said putting her feet back on the ground.

"I'm going with Fury to the Triskelion", Steve said.

Madison stepped back from him. "What?" she asked him, "But…what about Brooklyn?"

Steve sighed and said, "There's nothing there to hold me there. You're god knows where sometimes".

"You're the one who encouraged me to accept this position", Madison said, starting to get angry.

Steve sighed. "You're over-reacting", he said.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Madison asked softly.

"God no!" Steve told her, "I just wanted to see you one last time".

"Madison…say goodbye", Fury said walking up to them.

"I'll miss you", she told him.

"I'll miss you too", he said.

"If you see my father, tell him he needs to call me more often", she said.

"I will", he said. He kissed her one last time, before getting on his motorcycle and following Fury.

She watched them drive off. When they were gone, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Coulson pulled her to him and Madison broke down.

* * *

Skye found Madison in her room later.

"What do you want?" Madison snapped.

"Sorry", Skye said starting to walk off, "I just wanted to see if you were okay".

"I'm fine! God, why do people keep asking me that!?" Madison yelled.

"Look, I know you've been through a lot in the last year, but you don't need to be a bitch about it", Skye said.

Madison smirked and said, "I'm sorry. I may be a little girl, but I'm not going to break like everyone thinks".

"Well maybe if you let people in…" Skye said.

"It's easier to get hurt that way", she told her.

They were quiet for a few moments before Skye said, "Madison…have you ever thought about talking to someone about your flashbacks?"

"And have someone diagnose me with PTSD? No thanks. I know I have it", Madison said.

"I meant some like a friend. Someone who understands", Skye said, "You could always talk to Ward or Coulson".

"I would, but…I'm not ready to talk about it", Madison told her.

"Well I'm sure they'd be there for you when you are", Skye said and left Madison alone.

* * *

**Don't forget to review and let me know who you want Madison to end up with. Grant or Steve? I personally like both of them.**


	6. Updates

The fates have spoken and they want some Grant/Madison. I understand that some readers don't want this, but most of them do. But here's the thing I will do. If most of you have seen Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. then you know what happens with certain characters, so...I will do two alternate endings. One where she goes back to Steve and another where she goes with Grant. I don't know what this means for Season 2, so we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Also, the website I'm using to stream takes a super long time to buffer with my spotty wifi, so updates won't be as frequent. Also, school starts tomorrow, so update days will probably be Mondays and Wednesdays, hopefully. Updates will be more frequent when Season 1 comes out on September 9, along with Captain America: Winter Soldier.


	7. UST

Chapter 5

**I do not own Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in any way.**

**A/N-My muses have motivated me to start writing again. I even have some new stuff up on my Wattpad account and my Tumblr. Head on over to my profile page to find those links!**

* * *

Since the conversation between Grant and Madison, they had been avoiding each other.

Steve and Madison had talked on the phone about their relationship after their fight and had decided that it would be best for them to take a break for awhile, because their lives were going in two different directions.

Madison had also thought about talking to Grant and Coulson about her nightmares and flashbacks, but decided against it.

* * *

Madison went down to the lab to work on her arrows and found Grant punching a punching bag. "Wow. You punch that bag like Steve", Madison said.

"Unlike your super soldier, I don't suffer from PTSD", Grant said. He was on his back in a matter of seconds with a knife to his throat again.

"He's not the only one", she said softly, "If you're going to be around me, you'll have to learn to not piss me off. I still have nightmares about New York. So does Stark. PTSD is no fun and it's nothing to joke around about. Captain Rogers is a great man and without him, you wouldn't even have a job".

Even though Madison and Steve were taking a break, Madison was still fiercely loyal to him.

Just then, Skye walked down the stairs.

Madison got off Grant and helped him up.

"Why is she here?" Skye asked.

"Because she happened to be trained by the two most dangerous agents S.H.I.E.L.D. has", Grant said.

"Yeah and unlike you two, I didn't need an SO", Madison said.

"You know you're late", Grant told Skye.

"I'm tired from the morning's workout. I thought I was joining S.H.I.E.L.D., not 24 hour fitness", Skye said, causing Madison to smirk.

"I'll admit it's no walk in the park, but it's well worth it", Madison told her.

"It's called relative strength training, starting with the basics. And next time, you do 15 push-ups for every minute you're late", Grant said checking the wraps on her hands and wrists.

"Fine, Mr. Fun machine. Better than pull-ups. I don't ever want to do another pull-up again", Skye said.

"You find yourself hanging off the edge of a building 20 stories up, you're gonna want to do at least one. Stand here. Jab cross, like this", Grant said demonstrating, "10 minutes".

Skye started to punch the punching bag.

"You know the hardest part about boxing?" he asked her.

"Getting punched in the face?" Skye quipped.

Madison giggled.

Grant glared at her and said, "Keeping your hands up".

"Why do I even have to do this?" Skye asked, "I'm sure Fitz-Simmons' supervising officer didn't make them do this muscle stuff".

"You said you wanted to be a field Agent, like Coulson. Or Madison", Grant said.

"Whoa there. I may be good and all, but I _just _made field agent like two months ago. And according to the lovely Agent May, I shouldn't even be fighting", Madison said.

"But, if you'd like to switch disciplines…Hey, Simmons. What did your S.O. give you guys for morning drills?" Grant asked.

"Oh, atomistic attribute drills", Simmons said, "Yeah, we'd name the mechanical, chemical, thermal…"

"Electrical properties of materials…" Fitz added.

"Okay, okay. They made your point", Skye deadpanned, "What about you?"

The question was directed at Madison.

"I don't think it really counts seeing as my father and my step-mother trained me", Madison said, "But it was a little of everything".

"There will come a moment when you have to commit to this or bail. Every field Agent has a defining moment. Ask Coulson. When you have to make the hard call to either dedicate yourself to this or to curl up in a ball and run", Grant told her.

Madison thought a moment about her father and Natasha's defining moment. She knew her father's was saving Natasha and bringing her in. She had no clue what Natasha's was. Madison also thought about what her own defining moment would be.

"How can you run if you're curled up in a ball?" Skye asked him.

"It's my job as your S.O. to make sure you don't die before then", Grant said, "Come on".

Skye continued to punch the bag while Madison looked on in amusement.

"So what was yours, Agent Ward?" Skye asked him.

"10 minutes", Grant said again.

"Your defining moment? Come on, tell me. I want to know. I could get Coulson to give you some of that truth serum", Skye teased, "You could spill your little heart out to me again".

"You mean my level one overshare that miraculously got you to cooperate? I hate to tell you this, rookie, but we don't have a truth serum", Grant said.

"Changing course, briefing in three", May said over the PA system.

"Ah, looks like we're on the move", Fitz said.

"Finally", Madison said following Fitz and Simmons up the stairs, "I was starting to get bored".

"S.H.I.E.L.D. 616 with new orders. Set for Colorado air field North", May said as they came into the cabin of the plane.

"A few minutes ago, a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport was attacked while carrying a priority red protected asset off route 76 near Sterling", Coulson said entering the cabin.

"Priority red?" Madison asked, not understanding.

"The asset was Canadian physicist Dr. Franklin Hall, known for his work", Coulson said.

"Oh, no, not Frank", Simmons said.

"Dr. Hall?" Fitz asked, "He was our chemical kinetics adviser our second year".

"Yeah, he's so enthusiastic about science, we just adored him", Simmons said, "We can rescue him, can't we?"

"He's one of ours. We're gonna try", Coulson said.

Madison's hand shot up to her necklace.

_"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours". _

A hand on her other wrist brought Madison back to reality.

She glanced up at Grant.

He let go of her and turned his attention back at Coulson. "And the attackers?" he asked.

"Invisible", Coulson answered.

"Wait, invisible? Cool", Skye said.

After seeing the looks everyone was giving her, she stopped and said, "But terrible".

"I need some air", Madison said. She ran back down to the cargo hold and started releasing her frustrations out on the punching bag. A few minutes later, she felt someone grab her arms and pin them to her chest. She struggled until she realized who was holding her.

"I need you to calm down", Grant told her.

Madison let her body go limp and he released her. She turned around and buried her face in his chest.

Grant hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. He held her and stroked her hair.

After a few minutes, Madison pulled back and sat on the floor.

"You wanna talk about it?" Grant asked her.

"This mission is just bringing up some bad memories is all", she told him.

"You mean when your father was taken", he said.

Madison nodded. "Steve and I aren't together anymore", she said softly.

"I'm sorry to hear that", Ward said.

"Thanks Grant", she told him.

"Anytime Madison", he said.

"Um…are you two done, cause Coulson needs us", Skye said.

"Be there in a minute", Grant told her.

* * *

They were walking down a highway in the middle of the night.

"Dr. Hall was an asset?" Skye asked.

"One of a few select scientists S.H.I.E.L.D. has been protecting, people our enemies would love to get their hands on", Coulson said, "We keep them hidden, keep them on the move".

_People like Selvig for example,_ Madison thought.

"Which is why Fitz and I were so lucky to have him", Simmons said.

"We don't have him anymore", Coulson said.

"And what does priority red mean?" Skye asked.

"It means security should have been…" Coulson started.

They all stopped and looked at the truck in the tree.

"Heavy", Coulson finished.

Grant and Madison kept an eye on things around the crime scene.

"Fitz, what am I seeing here?" Simmons asked him.

"Well, I'm not wearing the full-spectrum goggles I designed, so no clue. Let me have a look", Fitz said.

Grant and Madison followed them.

"No, whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait! Don't move", Simmons said, "Wait a second". She picked up some dust and threw it at the area.

The dust swirled around in the air.

"Well that's definitely not normal…" Madison said.

"What the hell?" Skye asked.

"I think the electro-static field scanner activated something", Simmons said.

They ducked down as some dust flew towards them.

"Okay, can we deactivate it? Now?" Coulson asked.

"Have to increase the density", Fitz said as the dust continued to swirl closer to them.

"I tried, Fitz, but Fitz!" Simmons yelled.

The dust suddenly hit the ground and Simmons picked something up.

"Whoa. That did all this", she said.

Coulson took it from her.

"What is that?" Skye asked.

"Something big", Coulson said.

* * *

When they got back on the plane, they went to the lab, where Fitz examined the object.

"Either someone cracked our comm system, or Dr. Hall's movements leaked from inside S.H.I.E.L.D", Coulson told May.

"You really think we have a mole?" May asked.

"I think you should go through the communication logs, rule it out. We'll work the tractor tread that we found on the scene", Coulson said.

"I can do that instead of pull-ups. I can upload an image of the tread pattern, check to see if there's any sort of…" Skye said.

"Already done", Grant said entering the lab, "Matched it to a 2010 model. Found a list of purchasers within a 500-mile radius, narrowed down to those with priors, financial troubles, or propensity for risk-taking".

"And this is why you're a specialist", Madison teased him.

"Three suspects", Grant said, ignoring her.

"Who may have sold their construction equipment to the kidnappers. We'll ask", Coulson said.

_As opposed to what?_ Madison thought.

Ward grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the lab.

"Could you like…not manhandle me?" she asked him.

"Look, bottling your emotions isn't good for you", he told her, "So we're going to spar".

"Excuse me?" Madison asked him.

"Come on", he said.

She lunged at him and took him down in a matter of seconds.

They did this a few more times, until Grant was able to pin her.

He was so close that Madison could see the gold flecks in his chocolate brown eyes.

They were so different from Steve's crystal blues.

Steve…

Madison flipped him and pinned him. Then she got off of him and retreated to her bedroom. Despite what she was feeling for Grant, she was still in love with Steve. She heard someone knocking on her door.

"Madison…it's Coulson. Get ready and meet me and Ward in the cargo hold", he said.

Madison groaned. She didn't want to face Grant again.

It was like the universe was against her or something.

She suited up and met them in the cargo hold.

Madison and Grant didn't meet each others eyes.

"Whatever is going on between you two, I want it sorted out", Coulson said.

"Yes sir", Madison and Grant said.

Coulson got in his car.

Grant turned to Madison. "I know you just got out of a relationship with Captain Rogers, but can we both agree that there's something here?" he asked.

"I can live with that…for now", Madison said. She and Grant got in the car.

* * *

When they reached their destination, Coulson and Madison waited by the car, while Grant went to go hide in the shrubbery.

Soon, a cowboy came riding up on his horse.

"Excuse me", Coulson said.

"Who the hell are you?" the cowboy asked him.

"A concerned citizen who happens to be a member of a giant bureaucratic organization that's tracking your every move", Coulson said.

"I haven't done anything wrong", the cowboy said.

"Of course not, but you sold your excavator to some people who did", Madison said.

"And you're hiding out here until things cool down because you know it", Coulson said taking off his sunglasses, "I just want to know who paid you".

The cowboy took out a shotgun and pointed it at them.

Madison whipped out an arrow and loaded it in her bow.

"Paid me enough not to answer any questions like that", the cowboy said.

"You'll be dead before you can fire one shot", Grant said coming out of the bushes. He grabbed the cowboy's shot gun from him, causing the cowboy to fall off his horse, and cocked it. "Feels like the old west", Grant said, "You okay?"

"Fine", Madison said, "I'm…not gonna lie, but that was sexy".

"Madison…" Coulson said.

"What?" she asked, "You should carry a shotgun more often, Grant".

"Thank you, Madison", Coulson said, starting to get annoyed with the young agent. Coulson looked down at the cowboy.

"They gave me money for my equipment. That's all. I never saw a face. I never heard a name", he said.

"And how did you receive this money? - They write you a check?" Coulson asked.

The cowboy pointed to the saddle on his horse.

Madison walked over and tugged on the bag.

Gold bars fell out.

"Paid you in gold?" Coulson asked confused.

"Now it really feels like the old west", Grant said.

* * *

They went back to the plane and Madison went to her room. She sat on her bed and looked out the window. She reached into her bed compartment and pulled out a sketchbook. She opened it and looked at the sketch on the page.

The drawing was over 75 years old.

She sighed and took her necklace off. She placed it in the sketch book and put it back in her bed compartment.

Madison changed and grabbed her iPod. She slipped into the band around her bicep. She went into the cargo hold and started using the bars as gymnastic equipment.

This is what she missed.

Being alone.

That's what made it so hard to be on this team.

That and her attraction to Grant.

She guessed it was about an hour as so later when she heard, "What are you doing?"

She took her ear buds out of her ears and said, "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"I don't understand you", Grant said, "One moment you're shameless flirting with me, the other you hate me".

"If you knew everything about me, where would be the fun?" she asked him, "I'm a girl who likes to be chased". Madison finally understood why she liked Grant.

He was dangerous. He was a shoot now, ask questions later kind of guy.

So different from Steve and Madison loved it.

Steve had once told Madison that she a fire inside her. She could see that Grant had one too. But somewhere in the back of her mind, Madison knew what happened when you played with fire.

"But you don't run straight", he said.

"Like I said, where would be the fun in that?" she asked. She hopped down from her perch and went back to her room.

Steve was safe.

Grant was dangerous.

Madison didn't want safe. She knew one of them was going to get burned, but it was risk she had to take.

* * *

She went into the control room and found everyone else.

"The man's a prisoner, and it's up to us to get him out", Coulson said.

"We've checked the specs", Grant said, "There's no way into Quinn's compound without a large S.H.I.E.L.D. strike force or a man inside. He's got neodymium laser fencing surrounding the property".

"They'll never allow a strike force into Malta", Coulson said, "Plus, this weekend, Quinn worldwide's got its annual shareholders gathering. We risk global outrage, but…"

"If we go in alone…" May said.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. can disavow us, claim ignorance", Coulson said.

"Without a man inside, it's impossible, unless you're immune to pulse laser emissions", May said.

"If we had a monkey, we could get in", Fitz said.

"Ugh, Fitz!" Simmons groaned.

"If we had a small monkey, he could slip through the sensors and disable the fence's power source with his adorable little hands", Fitz said.

Madison literally face-palmed.

"I could go in", Skye said.

"Drop me in the hills outside of Valletta. I'll spend a few weeks establishing a cover, gathering intel…" Grant said.

Madison suddenly felt herself become worried for Grant's safety.

"Hall doesn't have a few weeks", Coulson said.

"And to restate, any Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. caught on Maltese soil can be shot to death with bullets", Simmons said.

"Yeah", Fitz said.

"Legally", Simmons added.

"Not me. I could go in", Skye said.

"Skye, this is serious", Grant said.

"Wait", Coulson said, "What are you saying?"

"Well, I'm not an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., so I can go in without breaking all these stupid rules", Skye said focusing on her phone.

"International laws", Simmons corrected.

"This isn't something the Rising Tide can hack, Skye", Grant said.

"Did you hear the deadly lasers part?" Fitz asked, "Without a brave monkey…"

"You said you could go in with a man inside", Skye reminded them.

"And you want to be that man?" May asked.

"Fitz-Simmons loved the guy, and he needs help. They could be torturing him, or worse, making him do strength-training", Skye said.

Madison was about to walk over to her and slap her, but felt a hand grabbed her wrist. She looked up at Grant and he let go.

"But you don't have the background or clearance or experience with any of this", he said walking over to Skye and Coulson.

"I know. But I've got an invitation", she said showing them her phone, "Well, technically, it's an e-vite".

Coulson and Grant left the control room.

A few minutes later, Grant came back. "You two", he said pointing at Madison and Skye, "You're with me". He took them down to the cargo hold.

"Okay, I get why she's here, but why am I?" Madison asked him.

"Just in case", Grant said. He tried teaching Skye how to grab a gun out of someone's hand while they're holding it to your head, but she failed every time. "Now, again, slowly, what's first?" Grant asked.

Skye executed the first part correctly.

"And then?" Grant asked.

"Then things are moving too quickly. I'm a proper southern girl. You'll make me untidy", Skye joked.

"Twist the thumb, palm the barrel", Grant deadpanned.

"Ow", Skye said as Grant stepped back from her.

"Madison, come here", Grant said.

Madison stood in front of him.

He held up the fake gun.

Madison executed the move perfectly. "Kill shot", she sang.

Grant simply smirked and grabbed her wrist. He twisted her arm behind her back and placed the gun under her jaw line. "Kill shot", he said in her ear. Grant didn't miss the shiver that went down Madison's spine. He let her go and she rubbed her wrist.

"Well you two clearly have some unresolved sexual tension", Skye said.

Madison was about to go after her but Grant's hand on her wrist stopped her.

He let go and Madison stormed up the stairs.

* * *

An hour later, they met in the control room again.

"Skye will walk in the front door. The only external access point to Quinn's underground facility is from a beach cove. A two-man extraction team could slip in there, but it's not easy", Coulson said, "Fitz-Simmons".

"The perimeter is surrounded by a 20-foot-high neodymium laser grid", Fitz said, "Touch it and you're toast".

"Dead toast. The only way to disable the grid is to crack the system and trigger a reboot. This would give the team three seconds to cross. Of course, Quinn's too smart to allow any wireless - access on his property", Coulson said as Grant packed.

"That's where I come in", Skye said.

"Yes, working compact holds up under x-ray", Simmons said.

"Desert rose to match your complexion", Fitz said opening it, "But oh, what's this? A readout, okay? Turns green if you're in close enough proximity to a computer to gain wireless access".

"When it does, you just drop this nearby and walk out", Simmons said, "We'll do the rest. Easy as pie".

"Or it will be if you stick to the plan", Grant said loading his gun. He clearly still didn't trust Skye at all.

"Got it. Plan, green, drop, walk pie", Skye said.

"All right, team, suit up", Coulson said.

Everyone started to clear out of the control room.

Madison walked over to Grant. "Can you promise me something before you go?" she asked him.

He looked at her.

"Be careful", she said.

He gave her a small smile, before kissing her forehead. "It's nice to know someone's worrying about me", he said.

"Someone has to", she told him.

"I'll be back before you know it", he said and left her in the control room.

Coulson, Skye, and Grant left the airplane.

May walked up to Madison. "You're going to help me relay information to Skye", she said.

Madison was frozen.

"Are you capable of that?" May asked.

"Yes ma'am. Sorry. I've heard so many stories about you from Tasha", she said.

May gave her a small smile.

Fitz and Simmons were in the control too.

They could hear Skye talking.

Madison could hardly concentrate. She was thinking about Grant and Coulson.

"Madison!" May snapped.

"Sorry. His wife's name is Nadrah", she said.

"Nadrah?" Skye asked.

"Twin sons", Madison told her.

"She staying at home with the boys?" Skye asked.

"How's she doing?" Fitz whispered setting down a bowl of popcorn.

"She's good", both May and Simmons whispered.

Madison reached for her neck and remembered she didn't have her necklace on.

"The pleasure is mine", they heard Skye say, "I could get used to this, people. It's like siri if it worked. Skipper to Bravo. I got eyes on top dog. The Eagle is landing on it".

Madison burst into giggles.

"What are you doing?" Simmons asked.

"Uh, sorry, I…I don't know. I see Quinn. I'm gonna go talk to him", Skye said.

They listened to Quinn and Skye talk.

"That seemed to go well", May told Skye.

"Yeah", Skye said, "It did".

A few minutes later they heard, "It's locked, but there's no lock".

"Eh, check for a keypad", Fitz said.

"Nothing", Skye said, "What, you can hack a keypad?"

"No, not over the phone", Fitz said eating a handful of popcorn.

Madison just looked at him.

"What?" he asked, "I eat when I'm nervous".

"Is there a reception desk?" May asked.

"Okay, yeah", Skye said, "Well, now what do I do?"

"What are you trying to do?" they heard Quinn asked.

"Just looking for a pen. Here we go. Got to write down all those good ideas, you know what I mean? Of course you know what I mean. Probably have like…" Skye rambled.

"What are you really doing?" Quinn asked.

"All right. I'm busted. I was trying to get a glimpse behind your office doors, see how things really operate", Skye lied.

"Nice save", Madison said.

"I invite you here as a guest, you treat me like another corrupt institution, looking for trade secrets to leak online. Security", Quinn said.

"No, no, no, wait. It's just, with all these la-di-da people; you have to be so guarded, so careful what you say, what secrets you reveal. And I was hoping that you and I could be honest with one another. If you know what I mean", Skye said.

A few seconds later they heard, "Wow, that's a less space, more wheels. Wow, a view of the ocean and the pool".

"Not a bad place to do business", Quinn said.

"Got the e spatch leaking Hall's location. User's an alias", May said.

"Oh, can you trace the DHCP server…?" Fitz asked.

"Trace is running, but it'll take time", May said, "Our girl?"

"I thought she was done for, but she's just sweet-talked - her way into Quinn's office", Simmons said.

"How'd she manage that?" May asked.

"Pbht! - She probably just used her, um uhuh her, uh ah, boobs", Fitz said as the three women looked at him.

"Ugh. That's the only explana…" Simmons said before the feed stopped.

"Oh my gosh. The signal's gone dead. Fitz!" she yelled.

"What I didn't…" Fitz said, "She must've …Oh, lord".

Madison tuned into Grant and Coulson's channel and said, "Skye's offline".

"What?" Grant asked.

"We've lost audio and vitals", she said.

"Abort is not an option, but if she's compromising", Grant said.

"She's still our only way in to get to Dr. Hall", Coulson said.

"And we're their only way out", Grant said.

It suddenly went quiet, so Madison tuned into only Grant's channel.

"Grant?" she asked.

"I'm fine Maddie", he said.

She blushed at the nickname.

"Everything's going to be alright, do you hear me?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I hear you", she told him.

"Guys, clock's ticking. Where's Skye?" Coulson asked.

"We're working on it", Madison told him.

"Maddie, I need you to keep calm. Can you do that for me?" Grant asked through her earpiece.

"Yeah", she said softly.

Suddenly, there was a beeping noise.

"We're in!" May said.

"She's done it!" Simmons said.

"Fitz, you're up", May told him.

"Oh, mother of all things", Fitz said, "Move, move, move!" Everyone moved out of Fitz' way.

"We need a reset here, Fitz! Fitz!" Coulson yelled.

"Saying his name repeatedly does not increase productivity!" Simmons snapped.

"Okay, go!" Fitz told them.

"Oh, maybe it does. System rebooting in two, one, now!" Fitz said.

"Grant! Did you make it?!" Madison asked him.

"Yeah. I'm fine", he told her.

Madison breathed a sigh of relief.

"Maddie, I want you to go to your room, okay? Wait for me there", he told her.

She did as he said. She kept reaching for her neck. She wished she had something to hold onto.

* * *

A few hours later, Madison heard a knock on her door. She jumped up and answered it.

It was Coulson.

"Oh…hey Uncle Phil", she said.

"I came to talk to you about you and Ward", he said.

She sighed and let him in. "I don't know if I can do this Uncle Phil", Madison told him.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I can feel myself drifting away from Steve. I mean, we're not together anymore, but I still feel this pull", she said, "I'm developing feelings for Grant".

"We can't control the way we feel sometimes Madison", Coulson told her.

"But what we went through, Steve and I, shouldn't it make us stronger as a couple or something?" Madison asked.

"We all crave intimacy. It's normal", Coulson said, "Distance makes the heart grow fonder".

Madison was quiet for a moment. "You know, sometimes…I wish I would've died that day in New York", Madison said softly.

Grant, who was walking by her bedroom, stopped.

Maybe he underestimated Madison.

The way she acted made it seem like she had it all together and he was quickly realizing this wasn't always the case.

She really was a damaged 16 year old that never let anyone see her break down.

"Don't ever think like that", Coulson told her, "Do you understand what your death would've done to your father or Natasha? You didn't see him after your mother died. He was a mess. What about Steve? He loves you".

"Steve would've gotten over me eventually", Madison said.

"After what happened with Peggy and Bucky, I sincerely doubt it", Coulson said.

Grant could hear sobs coming from the room and he realized that Madison was crying. He raised his hand to knock, but decided against it. He instead went back to his room and pulled out a small stone dove. He had picked it up as an apology gift for Madison, but now wasn't the best time to give it to her.

* * *

Later that night, when everyone was sleeping, Grant went back to Madison's room and went in.

She was curled up on her bunk clutching her pillow.

Grant swept some hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. He placed the little stone dove on her bedside with a note.

The next morning, when Madison woke up, she noticed the trinket. She picked it up and stroked its stone wings with her thumb. She read the note.

_It's called a worry stone. I thought it fit you since your father's codename is Hawkeye. I'm here for you, little dove. ~Grant_

* * *

**The Madison/Grant kiss is coming. I'm not sure when, but it's coming. I know that Grant keeps grabbing Madison by the wrist, but I think I'm just going to make that 'their thing'. His touch calms her down. It brings her back to Earth especially when she's freaking out or goes into a rage.**


End file.
